Pakistan is facing daunting challenges in the education sector, particularly when it comes to higher education, which is beset with a myriad of problems. These include defective policy formulation, inefficient implementation, asymmetrical budget allocations and naked corruption in public sector universities. Then theres is also the question of politicisation of appointments at the higher management level to nepotism in the recruitment of teaching and administrative staff. The opening up of higher education to the private sector has only thrown up a new set of challenges. Such as an explosion of private universities all over the country. With few exceptions, university charters have largely been granted to wealthy business tycoons with political connections. The hybrid system of higher education — consisting of public and private universities — naturally requires a robust governance system having equal and effective representation in the federal regulatory authority.
The Higher Education System (HEC) replaced the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2002 and among its lofty objectives was upgrading the country’s universities to transform them into Centres of Excellence in education, research and development. The HEC also provides financial as well as technical help to private universities in terms of upgrading physical infrastructure and subsidising the hiring of highly qualified local and foreign faculty. The HEC also awards generous grants to Pakistani students with a view to sending them off to first-class universities and welcoming them back as they return to serve their country. However, a large number of PHD scholarship beneficiaries did not uphold their end of the deal. Thus, there was no return on investment of public money.
Reportedly, billions of rupees from the national exchequer were injected into public and private universities as well as research institutions. Yet the nation is still waiting for the bumper harvest of well-qualified men and women with proven academic records to lead the blighted people of Pakistan into the 21st century
The HEC commission was empowered with lots of cash and regulatory power to act as a sort of powerful national regulatory authority. Reportedly, billions of rupees from the national exchequer were injected into public and private universities as well as research institutions. Yet the nation is still waiting for the bumper harvest of well-qualified men and women with proven academic records to lead the blighted people of Pakistan into the 21st century. There were also reports of a multi-billion grant being awarded to a research centre associated with a top HEC official — the question of effective oversight and pre- or post- audit of the institutions left unasked. Lack of accountability and the absence of an effective oversight mechanism are two major indicators of failure of governance; resulting in wastage of precious public money on the one hand and, on the other, producing inadequate human resources that are ill-equipped to handle advanced technological research equipment and procedures.
In 2011, under the 18th Amendment, education devolved to the provinces and the HEC became irrelevant. However, in April of the same year, the Supreme Court, upon hearing a petition, directed that the HEC should continue to work as a federal regulatory body. Hence, the HEC continued to function at the federal level, while some provinces established Provincial Higher Education Commissions; thereby creating a dichotomy in governance structure.
The present government recently removed the HEC chairman via a presidential ordinance, while reducing chairmanship tenure from four years to two. There are reports of new HEC rules being framed — subject to prime ministerial approval — which will effectively curtail its role as an autonomous body and render it an “attached department “of the Federal Ministry of Education. The role of HEC as a source of easy money for the universities without an effective oversight was neither desirable nor sustainable, so good riddance. However, an autonomous federal regulatory body for universities, both public and private, is required for quality assurance, as well as higher education policy input to the federal government. The role of HEC is also vital in coordinating among provincial education commissions.
The number and role of private universities in higher education has substantially increased over the past two decades. The most viable way out of the present state of disarray with regard to university governance structures would be to constitute a new HEC comprising public and private representatives. But it should envisioned as a regulatory body and not a funding source for universities; these two functions being entirely different. University funding should be contingent upon rigorous performance evaluations by the newly constituted HEC. Pakistan’s future development is intrinsically linked to quality higher education. Therefore, an autonomous and well-staffed HEC as a premier national regulatory role must be the national priority. The government should urgently and immediately tackle the issue of higher education governance structures.
The writer is former Ambassador of Pakistan to Vietnam. He can be reached at baluchrasool @gmail.com